Indian woman’s family performs last rites at Malaysia sinkhole she fell into

Family members of the 48-year-old Indian woman visited the 26-feet-deep sinkhole in Jalan Masjid India in Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur where she fell and disappeared.

The woman’s husband, son and sister performed her final rites at the site before returning to India, The Straits times reported.

Vijaya Lakshmi Gali from Andhra Pradesh, visiting Malaysia on holiday, fell into a 26-feet-deep sinkhole in Kuala Lumpur on August 23 and has remained missing since.

According to a report by Astro Awani, Vijayalakshmi’s husband, son, and sister visited the sinkhole site on September 1 to perform Hindu rituals. They lit oil lamps, rang bells, and collected a clump of soil, which they placed in a plastic bag to presumably take back to India. The family left for India later that day at 5 pm.

Despite extensive search efforts involving sniffer dogs and scuba units, the search and rescue teams were unable to locate her body.

On August 31, Zaliha Mustafa, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department for Federal Territories, announced the termination of the search and rescue operation after nine days of exhaustive efforts. The decision was made due to safety concerns for the rescue team, the public, and the surrounding area.

She also mentioned that the government would consider compensating the victim’s family, with discussions set for a Cabinet meeting on September 4.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, addressing safety concerns following the incident, assured tourists on August 30 that Kuala Lumpur remains safe to visit.